Netballers seal Samoa series

The Spar South African netball team are heading home after a victorious two-Test series against Samoa.

The Proteas won the second Test 66-49 for a whitewash of the series.

Earlier they had won the first Test 54-46. Coach Carin Strauss was delighted with the result, and said she believed South Africa would soon reclaim their status as the number one team in Africa

“The big margin of our victory in the second Test is proof of the effort that the players put into their preparation,” she said.

Before travelling to Samoa, the Proteas spent two weeks in New Zealand, where they played against invitational sides and also spent some time in a training camp conducted by former New Zealand coach Yvonne Willering.

The International Federation of Netball Associations (Ifna) are scheduled to publish their new world rankings on July 1, and South Africa, currently ranked sixth, are expected to move into fifth place, overtaking Malawi, who are currently ranked fifth.

South Africa and Malawi were scheduled to play a three-Test series in May, but Malawi pulled out at the last moment, claiming they were ” not ready” for the encounter.